


the truth about soulmates

by brightsee



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Fluff, Post 1x13, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-15
Updated: 2017-05-15
Packaged: 2018-10-31 22:08:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10908414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brightsee/pseuds/brightsee
Summary: Veronica calls Jughead her soulmate and Betty doesn’t understand why it weighs so heavily on her mind.It doesn’t feel right, to have this attachment to him, to someone she doesn’t really love, but placing a heavy term over their heads. As if this seals their hands together for all eternity and claims them one body, one mind, one soul. No, Betty feels her insides squirm and her mind yell at her desperately, 'this isn’t right, you’re too young, he isn’t who you really want!'





	the truth about soulmates

**Author's Note:**

> this was a fix-it-fic because even though i don't believe in soulmates, there's no way that jughead jones is betty coopers soulmate. There's so many reasons why thats wrong mostly because (headcanon) betty is gay af, and jughead is an ass that doesn't deserve her. we all know who her true soulmate is and that is veronica lodge, thank you very much, now if the show writers can pull their heads from their asses and fix this mess. anyway, hope y'all enjoy :)

* * *

_Currently, soulmates are purely thought of as a romantic partner with an inclusion of a lifelong bond._

_However, in Platos’ dialogue of ‘the symposium’, he has Aristophanes tell the true story of soulmates._

_Originally, humans were created with four arms, four legs, one head but two faces. It is believed that humans had great strength, enough that they could conquer the gods. Zeus split the humans in half and Apollo had sewn them up with the navel being the only remnant back to their original form. Each human would forever long for their other half, in body and soul. It is believed that when the two halves find each other there is an unspoken understanding, they feel unified and whole._

 

* * *

 

Veronica calls Jughead her soulmate and Betty doesn’t understand why it weighs so heavily on her mind. 

It doesn’t feel right, to have this attachment to him, to someone she doesn’t really love, but placing a heavy term over their heads. As if this seals their hands together for all eternity and claims them one body, one mind, one soul. No, Betty feels her insides squirm and her mind yell at her desperately, _this isn’t right, you’re too young, he isn’t who you really want!_

Veronica doesn’t even look happy about it, like she’s forcing it through gritted teeth, and Betty thinks, _maybe she too knows it doesn’t feel right rolling off her tongue._

But they get a text and everything is forgotten while they rescue Cheryl.

They sit in Pop’s toasting milkshakes, Betty beside Jughead and Veronica beside Archie. Betty knows they’re a thing now and bitterness rolls deep in the pit of her stomach. Is she jealous of Archie or Veronica? Is she jealous of their relationship? How easy they seemingly fit together? How Archie doesn’t pick apart every little detail of Veronica, like Jughead does with her.

_Why is she jealous?_

Veronica locks eyes with her across the table, does that little smirk of hers that is so private and telling, Betty feels herself blush. Then Jughead is tugging her into his side, arm thrown over her shoulders, and she looks up, sees the possessiveness in his eyes, and she wonders, _does he know?_

Veronicas’ brow furrows, just ever so slightly, that strained look that falls over her face whenever Jughead does something with Betty that she doesn’t like. _Does she know?_

Archie sits there, absorbed in his own little world, going on about something that the other three are obviously not paying attention to. Betty gazes at him quickly, wonders how she ever thought she was in love with him. _Wasn’t it obvious?_ It was a fake kind of love, the kind that she only felt because she was told she was supposed to.

The girl next door always falls in love with the boy next door, it’s that all american kind of love, Polly tells her one day. “ _Like Dawson and Joey”_ , she smiles. Betty’s confused until she watches the Dawson’s Creek with Joey climbing through Dawson’s window. It doesn’t matter that Pacey came along; _“they’re still meant to be, Betty”_ , Polly tells her, _“just like you and Archie.”_

But if Polly thought they were meant to be, and Veronica thinks Jughead is her soulmate, which one is right? _Neither,_ says a voice in the back of her mind. That voice she’s pushed down ever since she was younger and had her first crush. Not on Archie, that didn’t come until later, but rather this pretty girl with blonde pigtails and brown eyes.

Polly used to be obsessed with Disney princesses, always rescued by their prince, falling madly in love, and living happily ever after. One day, when she’s nine, and they’re watching Cinderella, Betty asks, so young and naive, _why did princesses always love boys? Why couldn’t it be two girls?_ Because she loved Amanda like Cinderella loved prince charming.

Her mother appears out of nowhere, a wooden spoon in hand, and starts yelling. Betty shrinks back in the couch, avoiding Polly’s gaze because she’s far too embarrassed. Her mother goes on about Adam and Eve, God’s way, and a bunch of other things that scare Betty straight. Polly pats her hand, gives her a sympathetic look, and says, _“it’s just the way things are, Betts. Girls love boys, not other girls. That’d be silly if they did_.”

It’s what society asked of her, _to find her prince_. Betty complies; there’s Archie but that doesn’t quite feel right and she only realizes such a thing when he rejects her. Then there’s Jughead, Veronica calls him her soulmate, but that doesn’t feel right either. She thinks back to Veronica, how she saw the worst in her but didn’t waver, has fluttered in and out of her life as she found her way in Riverdale.

It’s only later, when she gets Jughead alone, that she asks him, “ _do you think we’re soulmates?”_

Because she has to know. Has to understand what she’s feeling, it’s all a mess of emotions, each vying for her attention but she’s a Cooper, and she runs from all the nasty emotions. She pushes it all down, into the dark until they suffocate, and she feels nothing at all. It’s how she’s survived all these years.

Jughead looks at her, head tilted, and blue eyes cold. She takes a deep breath and braces for what he has to say. _“Well, actually, soulmates derived from the story of Plato, where humans were created with four arms, legs, two faces, and split in half, always looking for their other half. It’s bullshit. Love is a choice, Betty.”_

She doesn’t know why this calms her, sets everything into place. He’s not her soulmate, she knows this, he knows this, but why does Veronica think otherwise? This thing they have, her and Jughead, is not a forever kind of love, not two souls finding each other after being split in half. It’s not love she feels, maybe a sense of obligation to conform, but not the soul crushing kind of love.

Betty sinks down onto her bed. _“I don’t think I can do this anymore,”_ she whispers.

Jughead whips his head, looking surprised? Hurt? Confused? Betty has never been able to read him as well as she can read Veronica. _“What does that mean?”_

 _“I’m done,”_ Betty says, shaking her head. _“With you, with this, whatever it is. I’m done faking it.”_

The only time she’s felt that soul crushing kind of love was when she was ten and leaning in to kiss Amanda. The other girl pulled away too soon, Betty pulled back embarrassed, hurt. She shoves that part of her so deep down that she doesn’t find it until it’s six years later and raging to be let out, to be true to herself, to just stop _running_.  

 _“Faking it?”_ Jughead is outraged and he starts yelling but Betty doesn’t hear a word. She knows he’s throwing nasty words around because she hurt his ego, another fragile male. Betty doesn’t care because she’s done trying to fit into who society, her family, Jughead, wants her to be. It’s freeing and addicting.

She doesn’ even notice him storming out, but it’s a relief when she comes back down and he’s gone.

It still takes months because she’s discovering who this new Betty is. Veronica takes notice almost immediately, smiling as she hip checks her in the hall at school, _“where’s Juggie?”_

Betty smiles, _“who cares, we broke up._ ”

They’re friendship resolves and becomes stronger. Jughead was always between them, pulling Betty away from Veronica, because he knew. He knew Betty wasn’t who she said she was, knew that there was a part of her that was in love with Veronica Lodge. He was selfish and Betty was naive, but not anymore.

Betty loves their friendship. Loves how she can go to Veronica with any little problem. Loves how comfortable they are together. Loves when Veronica wraps her up in her arms, holds onto her so tightly, and nuzzles into Betty’s neck. Betty just loves Veronica with everything she has, and she’s pretty sure this woman is her other half, her body and soul separated from Betty before their creation.   

It doesn’t take Betty long to act, because it feels as if she’s solved the biggest puzzle in the universe and excitement takes over. Veronica broke up with Archie not long after Betty broke up with Jughead, both deserved better, and Betty’s almost positive they deserve each other. And they’re both lying in Veronica’s bed, curled up towards each other, with Veronica dragging her fingers over Betty’s arm in a soothing motion.

The world slows when they’re like this. It’s quiet, just the sound of their breathing fill the room, and they stare into each other’s eyes as if they hold the answers to the world. Betty’s pretty sure that Veronica's’ eyes do hold the answers to the all the world’s problem, or at least to Betty’s world.

It’s so peaceful and Betty lives for these moments, where her mind is quiet and she’s filled with Veronica’s scent, her comfort, her touch.

 _“Do you believe in soulmates?”_ Betty asks quietly. _“I mean where soulmates were separated in half by Zeus and they would walk the Earth searching for their other half, never becoming whole until they find each other?”_

Veronica pauses, and then smiles. _“I do.”_

Betty never believed in soulmates, at least not until Veronica showed up in her life. She says it so quietly, but she finally admits, _“I think you’re my soulmate.”_

She has always been able to read Veronica, what every twitch, brow furrow, and smirk meant, but now Veronica has gone so still, her face blank that Betty’s not really sure what she’s thinking. _“Betty,”_ Veronica whispers, and Betty braces herself for the rejection.

A tear rolls down Veronica’s cheek and Betty reaches out and brushes it away with her thumb, her heart breaking. This is it, their friendship ruined and her heart shattered by Veronica Lodge. Maybe Betty had read it all wrong; every hug, every time Veronica reached for Betty, kissed Betty’s cheek, held onto Betty as if she were her lifeline, was just Veronica being Veronica.

 _“God, Betty,”_ Veronica whispers, her eyes searching Betty’s.

She tries not to pull away under the pressure, feels it crushing her heart and her soul. Betty doesn’t think she’ll survive this. And then Veronica says the five sweetest words.

_“God, yes, you’re my soulmate.”_

It wasn’t what Betty was expecting, caught in surprise and shock. _“What?”_

Veronica lets out a watery laugh. _“I was so stupid before. I didn’t see it, what we had and what I felt. But I know now, there’s no one else, only you. You’re my soulmate. My other half that was taken from me-”_

Betty doesn’t let her finish, just pulls Veronica into her, and kisses her senseless. With Veronica pressed against her, hands wrapped in her dark hair, holding her so tightly that there’s no escape, this was _right_. This was Veronica and Betty, forever forged long before either of them were born, soulmates separated but now found.

Betty was finally whole and everything just felt right, _finally_.  


End file.
